Michigan State University
Central Regional Challenge
Andrew Ruthkoski Ties For Second At Central Regional Challenge
9/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 19, 2004
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Behind a third-round 68, senior Andrew Ruthkoski (Muskegon, Mich.) finished tied for second with Indiana's Jeff Overton at the Central Regional Challenge on Sunday, Sept. 19. Ruthkoski recorded a three-round score of 214 (75-71-68) at the University of Notre Dame's par-70, 7,011-yard Warren Golf Course.
It marked Ruthkoski's second straight top-10 showing of the season as he finished tied for fifth at last week's Inverness Intercollegiate. Dating back to last season, Ruthkoski has posted five consecutive top-10 finishes (tied for seventh at Kepler Invitational - April 17-18, 2004; tied for ninth at Bruce Fossum/TaylorMade Invitational - May 1-2, 2004; and tied for seventh at Big Ten Championships - May 8-9, 2004).
As a team, MSU finished in second place with an 873 (294-298-281), including a third-round 281. State's final-round 281 was the best score of the three-day tournament. Kent State took team honors with an 871, just strokes in front of the Spartans. Texas Tech (888) finished third, while Colorado took fourth (889) and Indiana was fifth (890). Kent State's Ryan Yip took medalist honors with a 209.
"I was extremely proud of the team," said MSU head coach Mark Hankins. "We played a good, solid round and let everyone around us come back. We had dug a big hole yesterday, so we are very happy with our finish."
Freshman Ryan Brehm (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) posted his first career top-10 showing with a ninth-place finish. Brehm shot a final-round 74 and finished the tournament with a three-round score of 219 (69-76-74).
Sophomore Matt Harmon (Grand Rapids, Mich.) finished tied for 19th with a 223 (73-75-76), including a final-round 76. Meanwhile, Mitch Pierce (Fenton, Mich.) moved up 20 places into a tied for 23rd after posting a final-round 70. Pierce finished the tournament with a 224 (77-77-70).
Senior Jimmy Chestnut (Grand Blanc, Mich.) rounds out the Spartan line-up, finishing tied for 35th. Chestnut posted a three-round total of 227 (80-78-69), including a final-round 69.
"Our strength is the fact that we have five good players," continued Hankins. "We have depth, which is good. We also have a lot of confidence in each other, and that really helps the players go out and play their game."
MSU returns to action Sept. 27-28 at the Adams Cup of Newport in Newport, R.I.
